We’ve chronicled several stories of identity theft of both the traditional and, increasingly, online variety. Among them was a prior edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast devoted to the story of Scott Reed of TruckSmart Solutions and the Independent Carrier Group about his long climb back from identity theft after it put a big hit his credit when he was hauling as an owner-operator. He suspected information gleaned by thieves from freight bills, mail theft or other traditional, non-online methods in his case. Increasingly, though, it’s online scams that have proliferated. Some have seen the light of day at OverdriveOnline.com, including the recent dramatic and expensive tale of a Georgia trucker catfished by a fake online romantic relationship and tricked into wiring more than $25 grand to the other party.
Fall for such a scam once, too, and you’re now on a “sucker list” maintained by what’s increasingly resembling something of an online-scam-industrial complex. “They will work you to the end of your days,” says Safr.me consultant and author Robert Siciliano, who has a particular expertise in the online scam arena. He’s the CEO of the non-profit personal security education site, and also a private investigator. He regularly consults with Fortune 500 companies about privacy and security and you might recognize his voice from interviews in major media outlets tapping his expertise in just how people can protect themselves in their online interactions. Overdrive Senior Editor James Jaillet and Contributing Editor Carolyn Mason talked with Siciliano about increasing your own awareness of how these scams play out to most effectively prevent them. Take a listen:
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Also in the podcast:
Four songs from occasional Overdrive Extra blog contributor “Long Haul Paul” Marhoefer‘s performance from the stage at the Key Palace Theater in Redkey, Ind., this past Feb. 2. Pictured here are Marhoefer (left) with Indianapolis-based photographer and sometime spoons player Larry Gindhart (center), who joined Marhoefer and New Castle, Ind.-based luthier Sherman Stockton.
